Mexican troops detain son of alleged drug cartel leader

Raid near Guadalajara sees Mexican military seize five men, including the son of the alleged leader of the Jalisco New Generation cartel, himself believed to be in charge of the group's finances

An anti-cartel armed militia stands guard at a checkpoint in MichoacanPhoto: EDUARDO VERDUGO/AP

AP

2:23AM GMT 31 Jan 2014

Mexican soldiers and marines captured the son of the alleged leader of a drug cartel during a raid on Thursday near the western city of Guadalajara.

Monte Alejandro Rubido Garcia, executive secretary of the National Public Safety System, said the military detained 23-year-old Ruben Oseguera and four other men in Zapopan, a city in the Guadalajara metropolitan area.

His father, Nemesio Oseguera, allegedly leads the Jalisco New Generation cartel, which is believed to be allied with the Sinaloa cartel, Mexico's most powerful drug gang led by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.

The suspects possessed 14 weapons prohibited for civilian use, including a grenade, and they had "high quantities of money in pesos and dollars," Rubido said.

He said Ruben Oseguera is accused of trafficking drugs and ordering murders. He is also accused of being responsible for managing the finances of the cartel, the official said.

"Ruben Oseguera is presumably the one in charge of buying, selling and trafficking the drugs coming from South America," Rubido said at a news conference.

The Jalisco state prosecutor said buses were set on fire in parts of Zapopan on Thursday, spreading fear among residents in the area around Guadalajara, which is Mexico's second biggest city. The US Consulate in the city warned citizens to stay inside because of what seemed to be retaliatory attacks by cartel members following the raid.

The Jalisco cartel is believed to be locked in a turf battle with the Knights Templar cartel in neighbouring Michoacan state. It has been accused of supporting some of the civilian vigilante groups that have been battling the Knights Templar.

In November, Jalisco authorities linked the Jalisco New Generation cartel to the discovery of dozens of bodies in mass graves in the community of La Barca near Lake Chapala, which is popular among Canadian and US expatriates and tourists. Officials said police officers arrested for alleged gang ties led investigators to the graves and said the remains could be victims of people they had turned over to the cartel.